Gramophone record



Patented July 26, 1938 UNlTED STATES GRAMOPHONE RECORD Willy 0. Herrmann, Munich, Germany,

to Alfred Van Raap, Amsterdam,

assignor Netherlands No Drawing. Application June 11, 1934, Serial No. 730,061. In Germany June 16, 1933 7 Claims. (Cl. 274-41) This process relates to the improvement of gramophone records which by any reason are or have become useless e. g. by consisting of a bad or non-apt material, by being worn with playing, by having become a fault or by any other reason e. g. the musical piece has lost the interest.

This invention gives a method to improve useless records by covering them with a suitable 10 thermoplastic layer and pressing them again.

A suitable tLermoplastic layer may be a known record mass e. g. built up from natural gum shellac or artificial shellac or resin or suitable'polymerized organic compound especially well thermoplastic polyvinyl compounds and so on and suitable fillers according to known methods. Preferably the nature of the layer is appropriate to the physical properties of the record to be covered. By choosing the right layer-material it is possible to influence the hardness. the power of resisting pressure, the elasticity, the inflammability and other properties of the record.

The record may be covered with the layer in any suitable way e. g.'by rendering the layermaterial plastic by heat and pressing it on the record as support on one or both sides, by sticking, powdering, spraying, blowing, painting or dipping the layer material with or without using organic liquids as emulsifying agents on the sides of the record as a base. The layer material may also be brought into the form of a film, a plate or the like and fixed to the useless record with or without the application of heat with or without the help of a sticking material and with or without the use of any additional layer as intermedial support of any suitable material. Especially to avoid a too strongly softening an intermedial support of a heat insulating material such as paper or the like maybe used.

The useless records covered with such a suitable layer on one or bothsides as desired and warmed. before or not as necessary are placed in an ordinary record-press or matrix, pressed in the known manner under heating and cooling cording tov any known way. Of course the matrix or press with the sound rills must have the right .distance according to the'thickness of the record desired. The superfluousmass will be pressed out. Thus the weight or the record obtained will be as desired.

' Example 1 Flexible records consisting of cellulose acetate have the disadvantage that they can not be the matrix with the sound rills and finished ac- I played with a sharp needle. Besides they are sensible to variations of temperature.

Such a record gets highvalue e. g. in the following manner:

A record mass is prepared from highly polymerized vinylacetate, .paper pulp and other fill-- ing materials according to U. S. Patent No. 1,997,- 489,. Example IV by kneading together a solution of polymerized vinyl acetate in spirit with paper, aldehyde resins, slate dust and carbon blackand evaporating the solvent. The mass is then rolled out in thin layers. I

These layers are warmed. One warmed layer is brought into the matrix with the sound rills, the cellulosic acetate record is laid up and on this the other warmed layer is laid, the press being then worked in the usual manner.

After pressing and cooling a fine and good record is obtained which has a suflicient elasticity and can be played with a sharp needle.

Another method to bring up a layer on the useless record is e. g. the following: The record mass to be brought up is pulverized and suspended in an organic liquid which is no solvent for the useless record. In the case of cellulose esters alcohol is advantageous. This supension is brought on the useless record by spraying, painting or the like in sufiicient quantity and the record dried before being pressed.

Example 2 A flexible record consisting of nitrocellulose which has not only the disadvantage of a record from cellulose acetate but also the big disadvantage of having an explosive inflaminability is prepared e. g. in the following manner:

A record mass is built up from a polyvinylester according to U. S. Patent No. 1,997,489 above mentioned, Example V.

On each side of the nitrocellulose record which has a thickness of 1,2 mm. about 50 grs. of the record mass made plastic by heat are brought up as described in the foregoing example, and pressed in the matrix in such a way that a record results with a layer on each side of about 0,2 to 0,3 mm. The resulting record can be played with a sharp needle and has no more a a dangerous inflammability.

Of course the quantity of the record mass brought up may vary according to the result de- Example 3 On one side of round paper of 24,8 cm. diame-' ter and a suitablehole in the midst of necessary diameter is brought up'in a thin layer of about 0,5 mm. thickness 9. pulverized record mass made rial sticking in the warmth is stuck before or whilst pressing in a hot matrix of'apt thickness, as described.

Of course the diameter of the intermediate paper layer whichcan also be of fabrics or thin wood plate may vary according to the intentions. In the case of a useless record of '30 cm. diameter the intermediate layer of paper or the like preferably has a smaller diameter e. g. 29,7

It is also possible to work in the following manner:

The useless gramophone record of natural gum shellac is warmed and powdered in warm state on both sides with a pulverized record mass of a vinylic compound according to U. S. Patent No. 1,997,489 in such a way that a layer of about 0,3 mm. thickness is reached. The record such prepared is put into the matrix, labelled and pressed in usual way.

Example 4 A gramophone record of vinylite not easily thermoplastic as for its high content of polyvinylchloride is coated on both sides with a cover of an easily thermoplastic record mass as mentioned in the foregoing description. The covering may be carried out e. g. as described in the examples given.

While I have especially described the preferred embodiment of my invention it is not to be limited to all of the details hereinbefore described,

but may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

The inventlon claimed is:

1. A gramophone record consisting of a middle high polymeric layer and an outside layer attached to each side thereof, said outside layers each comprising a vinyl resin and an aldehyde resin.

2. A'gramophone record consisting of a middle cellulose ester layer and an outside layer attached to each side thereof, said outside layers being composed of a polymerized vinyl ester, an

aldehyde resin and cellulose.

3. A gramophone record consisting of a middle vinylite layer and an outside layer attached to each side thereof, said outside layers being composed of a polymerized vinyl ester, an aldehyde resin and cellulose. v

4. A gramophone record consisting of a middle layer of preformed record material and an outside layer attached to each side thereof, said 'high polymeric layer and an outside layer attached to each slde'thereof, said outside layers being composed of a vinyl resin and another resin.

7. A gramophone record consisting of a middle layer of preformedrecord material and an outside layer attached to each side thereof, said outside layers being composed of a vinyl resin andanother plastic mass.

WILLY O. HERRMANN. 

